


Bedtime Stories

by EndlessEarlGrey



Series: Overwatch Writing Prompts [4]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, I tried to write it gender neutral so everyone can enjoy, M/M, One Shot, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-13 10:11:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11182923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndlessEarlGrey/pseuds/EndlessEarlGrey
Summary: Filling prompt: "Hi there! I saw you were looking for writing prompts, so can I give you one? How about Soldier76/Reader being comfortable enough around each other to let their guard down?"---The quiet moments in the night are the best ones for the both of you.





	Bedtime Stories

The hours after midnight were always the magic hours to you; when most people left for their rooms, the base whirling down from the day’s activity. You settled yourself in the common room, curled up in a plush armchair, resting your back on one armrest and your legs dangling off the other. The lamp beside you provided enough light so you could read, but it was dim enough to soften the room, smudging shadows and blurring edges. Your team had just came back from a mission earlier today, following up on some leads about Talon. Everything went smoothly, a quick in and out, disappearing into the night kind of mission. You were glad you had experienced Overwatch members on your team.

As your eyes glazed over the text, you heard some footsteps entering the room, stopping at the entrance. Only a handful of people would still be awake at this time.

“That can’t be comfortable,” the voice said, breaking the silence. You took your eyes off the page and glanced towards the door, noting the tall figure hiding with the shadows. The red visor gave the man away, glinting as he walked a few steps closer.

“Mmm, I’m perfectly comfortable here, the most relaxed I’ve been these past two weeks,” you replied softly, not wanting the exert energy you didn’t really have. Soldier 76 grunted in agreement, deciding to settle down in the chair beside your legs. You gave him a sleepy smile when he turned his head towards you. You could only guess that was his way of checking that he was allowed to sit with you. He cleared his throat before pulling out his holopad, no doubt reading over the post mission notes. Seeing he was occupied, you drifted back to the book you had open, heavy eyes catching only a few words here and there as you reread the same line for the third time.

The room was silent besides the soft breathing from the two of you. Both of you had an unstated agreement, where neither person felt like they had to speak around each other. It started awkwardly at first in the beginning; you felt like you had to be saying something around the stoic man. But as time passed and the frequency of bumping into each in the common room increased, the silence grew to be comfortable. You were both people that reveled in quietness.

“What are you reading?” He asked, voice low and grounded. You barely lifted the book off your chest, allowing him to see the cover.

“One of my favourites, must have read it dozens of times, but it’s still good.”

“Can’t say I’ve seen it before,” he replied, his words pulling you a few steps back from giving into sleepiness. If you had more energy, you probably would have stood up immediately, offended he had never heard of your favourite book. The most you could do was sigh in disappointment, loud enough to make Soldier 76 chuckle.

“You know, that should be a crime.” You stretched your arm, holding the open book towards him. Your arm was bobbing up and down as your body struggled to keep the weight of the book lifted, albeit it wasn’t heavy at all. His brow went up, peeking above his visor and creasing his forehead.

“Take it and read the page I’m on. It’s the best part of the book.”

He didn’t move to grab the book, letting your arm drop lower and lower. When you were about to give up, he reached over and took the book from your hand. Your arm immediately dropped, limp against your side. You watched as he turned the book to the right side so it faced him, leaning towards the lamp in between the two of you. “Read it out loud,” you asked, causing him to glance up at you again. You could tell he was going to refuse, the way his back straightened and his shoulders pulled back indicated so.

“Please…” you whispered, stopping his words before he could speak them. Taking one look at your half closed eyes and soft smile on your lips, it was his turn to sigh. He turned his attention back to the book in his hand and to your surprise, he started reading out loud. His voice had an immediate effect on you, sending sharp shivers and goosebumps all over your body. It was a rumbling sound, deep and melodic, rising and falling with the beautifully written words. He read smoothly, not a stumble on a word– knew when to take a breath and when to glide through the sentence. His voice struck deep within you, lulling you deeper, guiding you closer to the dream world that you fought against.

When Soldier 76 finished two pages, he hummed in contemplation, intrigued that he actually found the book interesting just from the few pages. Maybe he would ask you to borrow it when you were done. 

“You know, this isn’t too bad. I can see why–” he trailed off as he turned to face you. You were curled up, knees tucked against your chest, head resting to the side and breathing deeply. You were asleep, feeling safe enough and comfortable enough to let your guard down around the man. Soldier 76 shook his head, but he let a smile drift onto his face, seeing how nobody was around anyways. He got up slowly, wincing a little at the squeakiness of the leather seat returning back to it’s original form. His eyes shot towards you in alarm, but you didn’t seem to react to the noise. He tucked your book into his jacket pocket as he stood above you, taking this private moment to observe you quietly.

He would be kidding himself if he hadn’t thought of you more than just another team mate, the man wasn’t blind. He perks up whenever he hears you laugh from a joke, scanning around discreetly to see who made you laugh so he could glare at them. When you smile directly at him when he enters the room, he can’t help smile back, even though you would never see it behind his mask. He was impressed by the way you handle yourself in the organization, a reliable, smart and not to mention strong team mate to depend on. Whenever his thoughts strayed to something more, he would berate himself, writing it off immediately. He was an old man now, older than you and not to mention broken. He was a ghost of the former hero, a man who could have taken on the world. Someone who would have made you proud to call him your partner. But now….

Soldier 76 lowered his hand to your face, tenderly smoothing the few strands of hair away from your face. He’ll settle being your team mate, as long as he could still be by your side, protecting you from afar. He gingerly rubbed his thumb across your cheek as he cupped it gently. In response, you subconsciously leaned into his warm palm, the faintest of smiles gracing your lips. The older man chuckled, lingering for a moment before he caught the time on his watch. Probably only Angela was awake, and he didn’t have to hide his secret from her. He lifted his hand to reach his mask and pressed a button on the side. The mask opened with a hiss, falling easily off as he removed it. He took a deep breath, letting the unfiltered air into his lungs, flushing out the stale air. Running his hand through his silver hair, he sighed deeply, as if removing the mask was like removing a giant weight from his shoulders.

Soldier 76 tucked the mask in his other pocket before gently scooping you into his arms, tucking one arm underneath your knees, the other supporting the middle of your back. He froze, midway while straightening up when you shuffled, your brows scrunching together. But you just turned towards him, tucking your arms to yourself, nuzzling your face into his warm chest. When he was sure you were still asleep, he let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Explaining his actions, as well as his identity at the same time would have been incredibly uncomfortable, should you had woken up.

“Athena, lights off in the common room,” Soldier 76 murmured, walking towards the door with you bundled in his arms.

“Understood Soldier 76. Good night.” The AI responded promptly, dimming the lights as the pair of you left the room.

Soldier 76 walked into the hallway, turning towards the direction of your dorm. With you nestled against him, he let the moment weakness overcome him, indulging himself. He brushed his lips against your forehead, before resting his chin softly on your head. With all the cruelness life has thrown his way, he silently begged the world to let him have this moment; to let him have this flicker of happiness even if it was a blip in his life’s timeline.

**Author's Note:**

> Who wouldn't want to fall asleep to that! Thanks for reading, I would love any prompts if you want to ask me on Tumblr [ Endlessearlgrey](http://endlessearlgrey.tumblr.com), or in the comments of any of my stories. Must stretch writing muscles!
> 
> Kudos and comments shows that I'm actually doing a decent job at writing *sweats*


End file.
